Another quick note on this Memorial Day (and thank you to our servicemen and women): Two days before the deadline, the Red Wings have signed their third round draft pick from the 2009 Draft, Andrej Nestrasil. Per CapGeek, the three-year, two-way, entry-level deal is similar to that of Adam Almqvist, but the cap hit is a bit lower at $585,000. Of course, that’s an NHL figure, and one would assume he’s a little ways off from that.
Of the Wings seven picks in that Draft, only Nick Jensen has yet to be signed — and the deadline for him isn’t until 2014 (he’s a collegiate player). The others (Landon Ferraro, Tomas Tatar, Gleason Fournier, Mitchell Callahan, and Almqvist) are all working their way through the system — and many should be in Grand Rapids this upcoming season.
Looking ahead, there are only two players whose rights with the Red Wings will expire if they’re not signed, but their deadlines are August and not June. Bryan Rufenach and Nick Oslund are both long shots to earn contracts, but keep an eye on it.